Solar Power World

  • Home
  • Top Solar Contractors
    • 10th Anniversary Roundtables
  • Articles
    • Most Recent Posts
    • News
      • Latest News Items
      • Solar tariffs
    • Featured
      • Latest Feature Stories
      • Contractor’s Corner
      • Trends in Solar
      • The Solar Explorer
  • Policy
    • Monthly Snapshots
  • Markets
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Community Solar
    • Utility
  • Products
    • 2020 Top Products
    • Batteries and Storage
    • Inverters
      • Global Manufacturing Locations
    • Racking and Mounting
    • Software
    • Solar Panels
      • U.S. solar panel manufacturers
      • Global Manufacturing Locations
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
    • About SPW
    • Digital Issues
    • Event Coverage
    • Leadership
      • 2020 Winners
      • 2019 Winners
      • 2018 Winners
    • Podcasts
    • Product Databases
      • Solar Inverter Models
      • Solar Panel Models
      • Solar Racking Models
      • Battery Storage Models
    • Product Manufacturing Locations
      • Global Inverter Manufacturing Locations
      • Global Solar Panel Manufacturing Locations
      • U.S. solar panel manufacturers
    • Solar Classrooms
      • Inverters
      • Solar panels
      • Roof-mount systems
      • Ground-mount systems
      • Residential energy storage systems
    • Suppliers
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers

LONGi really wants the industry to switch to its larger solar wafers/cells

By Kelly Pickerel | August 28, 2019

Share

Chinese solar cell and panel manufacturer LONGi Solar announced a new bifacial module in May 2019 that uses larger solar cells than those it has traditionally made commercially available. The new Hi-MO4 module uses M6 (166-mm) wafers while LONGi’s older modules use M2 (156.75-mm) wafers.

The Hi-MO4 module with half-cut cells

Today the company announced it has received over 2 GW of orders for its Hi-MO4 module and will switch all its manufacturing lines to the larger wafer by next year.

“By end 2020, LONGi will upgrade its existing cell and module lines and transform them for production with 166-mm wafer,” said Wang Yingge, head of global marketing, LONGi Solar. “New lines, such as the 5-GW monocrystalline cell line in Yinchuan (China), will be designed for the 166-mm size from the start.”

A larger solar cell increases the area exposed to light, which can increase power and reduce cost. SunPower announced it was also increasing the size of its solar cells earlier this year to 160-mm (smaller than LONGi’s latest).

Differing wafer sizes will lead to a mismatch in processes and standards in the supply chain, said Li Zhenguo, president of LONGi Group. The company wants to get the rest of the industry on board with its larger cell size.

“If manufacturers cannot reach an agreement on a size standard, it will restrict the development of the whole industry,” Zhenguo said.

LONGi said that its existing crystal drawing and slicing equipment are easily adaptable to the larger wafer size, and the costs to update the equipment are lower and “easier to achieve.”

Professor Shen Wenzhong, director of the Solar Energy Research Institute of Shanghai Jiaotong University, said the larger wafer should increase LONGi’s annual capacity by 13%. Larger solar cells produce more power, and modules will be more powerful too. LONGi’s Hi-MO4 module is expected to reach 420 W. SunPower’s A-Series modules using its larger Maxeon cells have been rated at 400 W.

About The Author

Kelly Pickerel

Kelly Pickerel is editor in chief of Solar Power World.

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

Related Articles Read More >

Eos takes full ownership of HI-POWER battery manufacturing venture outside Pittsburgh
Li-Cycle to open lithium battery recycling facility in Phoenix
First Solar Series 6 CuRe modules use less copper for low degradation rate
Tigo files additional lawsuit against APsystems alleging patent infringement

Exclusive SPW Content

Videos Podcasts Webinars Whitepapers

SPW Digital Editions

Solar Power World Digital EditionBrowse the current issue and archived issues of Solar Power World in an easy-to-use, high-quality format. Bookmark, share and interact with the leading solar construction magazine today.

Solar Policy Snapshot

Solar policy differs across state lines and regions. Click to see our monthly roundup of recent legislation and research throughout the country.

Read More >

Popular Posts See More >

Panasonic to end solar panel manufacturing
Stand-alone energy storage tax credit legislation introduced in both the House and Senate
Biden infrastructure plan includes 10-year extension and phase down of direct-pay ITC
How a forced-labor prevention act may affect U.S. solar panel imports
Solar Power World
  • Top Solar Contractors
  • Solar Articles
  • Top Products
  • Leadership
  • WTWH Media
  • About/Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Windpower Engineering & Development

Copyright © 2021 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search Solar Power World

  • Home
  • Top Solar Contractors
    • 10th Anniversary Roundtables
  • Articles
    • Most Recent Posts
    • News
      • Latest News Items
      • Solar tariffs
    • Featured
      • Latest Feature Stories
      • Contractor’s Corner
      • Trends in Solar
      • The Solar Explorer
  • Policy
    • Monthly Snapshots
  • Markets
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Community Solar
    • Utility
  • Products
    • 2020 Top Products
    • Batteries and Storage
    • Inverters
      • Global Manufacturing Locations
    • Racking and Mounting
    • Software
    • Solar Panels
      • U.S. solar panel manufacturers
      • Global Manufacturing Locations
  • Subscribe
  • Resources
    • About SPW
    • Digital Issues
    • Event Coverage
    • Leadership
      • 2020 Winners
      • 2019 Winners
      • 2018 Winners
    • Podcasts
    • Product Databases
      • Solar Inverter Models
      • Solar Panel Models
      • Solar Racking Models
      • Battery Storage Models
    • Product Manufacturing Locations
      • Global Inverter Manufacturing Locations
      • Global Solar Panel Manufacturing Locations
      • U.S. solar panel manufacturers
    • Solar Classrooms
      • Inverters
      • Solar panels
      • Roof-mount systems
      • Ground-mount systems
      • Residential energy storage systems
    • Suppliers
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Whitepapers